In the hot lazy days of summer a common activity for young people is to swim and play in swimming pools. Such activities include simple swimming, competitive racing swimming, and simply lying on a flotation device. In addition, floatation devices to provide food and beverages are common. An example of such floatation devices is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,645, Floatable Assembly for Swimming Pools by Engler. Engler provides for a stable upright pole with a floatation device that has holes to retain cups and such. Engler likewise teaches his floating assembly can be used for various games such as basketball and tethered ball.
Engler teaches a stable flotation device that retains an essentially level contact with the surface of the pool water. For this end, he teaches that the upright pole of his invention has a joint so that as the pole is forced out of perpendicular, the float remains stable. For this reason the top end of his pole is designed to remain vertical whether topped with an umbrella, a tether ball, or a basket for basketball. His abstract states “A float surrounding the pole intermediate the ends of the later is connected to the pole by a universal coupling which permits the float to move with wave action while the pole remains substantially stationary.”
The structure of the present invention is designed to move the upper end of the pole in an erratic manner to add skill and fun to the tether ball game. The tether ball game structure of the present invention with advantages will be described below.